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Guillermo del Toro Turned Down Star Wars: Episode VII

Back in November Guillermo del Toro said that he wasn’t considering directing Star Wars: Episode VII, but that didn’t keep some fans from hoping that his name would be the one ultimately announced by Disney. Well, it’s now official that del Toro will not be at the helm of Episode VII, as he says Lucasfilm contacted him about the role and he politely declined.

Del Toro wasn’t exactly offered the role per se, but someone at Lucasfilm did want to know if he was interested. Check out del Toro’s comment below.

“We got one phone call to my agent saying, ‘Is Guillermo interested?’ And basically I have so much stuff already of my own, and I’m pursuing stuff that I’m generating already… It was just a phone call, it didn’t go past that, it was very nice to be asked, but believe it or not, I’m busy enough.”

Well, as sad as it is that del Toro won’t be the one directing Star Wars: Episode VII, his statement that’s he’s busy enough is no lie. In addition to his film Pacific Rim which hits theaters this summer, his upcoming projects include Crimson Peak, The Haunted Mansion, Pinocchio, and At The Mountains Of Madness, which he recently confirmed is back in the works after being shut down last year.

Del Toro may not be taking on the next Star Wars trilogy, but he did voice an opinion as to who he thinks should be at the helm for the next film. The lucky man with his blessing? Brad Bird. Unfortunately for del Toro and other fans of Bird’s work, Bird already said he will not be directing the films.

With how many directors have turned down the film, it seems that Disney’s short-list must finally be down to a few candidates. Hopefully this means that sometime in the relatively near future it will be announced who’s directing the film, and all the speculation can be viewed as a pleasant memory of a time long ago and far, far away.